Chapter Twenty-Nine: Resonance x Delight

She couldn't understand what he was saying.

After opening her eyes, they became one. For her, this was normal, yet at the same time, he kept muttering many things she couldn’t comprehend.

“An officer must at least understand tactics and execute orders precisely—if he can’t, then he must be brave. The less soldiers think, the better; they must know that only by fighting can they hope to survive. If they fail, they and their loved ones will die.”

“They must form habits, maintaining tight formations. This protects their comrades and themselves. The Han army is a professional force, highly organized. There are many contractors on the other side, and who knows what strange skills they possess. To lead undertrained troops against such opponents, we must rely on numbers, terrain, and weather.”

She bit her lips, refusing to cry out.

“The Han army at this time has significant weaknesses. They may accomplish feats but not receive rewards—many are waiting behind them to claim the credit. Such a crowd won’t have much enthusiasm. But now, with our own side weak, there’s little opportunity to exploit this.”

“First, we must prove our strength on the battlefield. We cannot lose. Even if we don’t win, as long as we don’t lose, as long as a stalemate forms, more and more opportunities will appear.”

It was the first time she’d met a man who spoke of such things during intimacy… If he hadn’t been stirred, perhaps he wouldn’t have done this?

This was weaving a cocoon around oneself.

Was he thinking about how to fight the Han army? She watched him; the excitement of having a goal was something she’d often seen before, but… what had been awakened inside him was this? Was his deepest thought only how to wage war?

Sensing her thoughts, he began to speak of other things.

“In front of me, don’t try to confuse or restrain. Kindness never means weakness or stupidity; it never means suffering invasion and simply enduring it. Just as malice never means strength.”

“If these things are mixed with stupidity and dullness, the best approach is to tear them apart.”

What was all this nonsense? She understood even less.

“I will meet contempt with scorn, resist harm with cunning, regard corruption with innovation, and use reason to discern right from wrong.”

“Even if I make a thousand mistakes, it is no excuse for degeneration or indulgence. Past errors cannot halt the pursuit of success. Pure and absolute justice, like the gratitude of those protected, is wonderful but unnecessary—and not a burden worth bearing.”

What was he saying?

---

The last words, perhaps by coincidence, resonated with some of her own experiences. She began to cry.

“Benevolence, specifically means the kindness of the strong toward the weak.”

“Righteousness is the bond between the weak.”

“Etiquette is the armor of the soul.”

“Wisdom is the benchmark for progress, the guarantee of development.”

“Trust is the foundation of society.”

“You’re crying. Does your heart ache? Then learn more; learn to treat others with courtesy, use it to build the armor of your soul.”

“Are you fertile? Will the seeds sown grow into abundant fruit? Broad hips make childbirth easier, full breasts nourish new life. You have these—have you used them for their proper purpose?”

Heavens! What was this? She pulled a blanket over, covering her face.

Yet he continued to mutter:

“Humans are complex, unstable, multifaceted, and ever-changing; while all norms—laws, morals—are rigid, inflexible, quick to become outdated, and often more harmful than beneficial when changed. It’s almost impossible to use rigid norms to restrain flexible people—perhaps you can control them for a short time, but as times change and environments shift, the norms soon become obsolete.”

“What is the purpose of creating norms—laws and morals? It’s so the entire species can survive and develop better, restraining the evil acts of some members. Some say law is a tool for class rule. I disagree—I believe law allows the species or nation upholding it to coordinate internal conflicts and safeguard development. Certain articles may allow one class to rule another, but all developed nations, the norms they uphold—their laws and morals—play a role in coordinating internal relationships.”

“‘Nation’ is an evil word, leading to erroneous classifications of humanity. Perhaps the scholar who invented it did so for convenience, but the damage caused to humanity as a whole is unforgivable…”

---

The next morning, when Wang Luo awoke, he felt refreshed and relaxed.

The pressure, gloom, confusion, and troubles of this period were almost entirely swept away. Glancing back at her, she was still lying in bed, face flushed, eyelashes trembling occasionally.

So cute—no need to rush her to make breakfast… He stepped out of the tent, sunlight warmly bathing his body.

---

Yesterday, he seemed to have spoken a lot of nonsense? No matter, there was no time to linger on such things. The battlefield lay ahead; victory was everything.

The troops were weak. If the opportunity arose to catch the Han army split, it would be best to destroy them one by one, but the Han army was no fool. After two units were ambushed previously, they would either hold still or deploy the main force.

If the Han army attacked, where would be best to fight them? Hillsides, depressions, riversides, narrow paths… Which terrain, which formation, would best utilize the Yellow Turbans’ greatest strength—their numerical advantage? How could these newly armed soldiers be made to perform better?

Soon after, the soldiers assembled. Officers led their new recruits into fresh ranks, chanting slogans, moving to the next stage of drills and combat training.

Some officers had surrendered Han soldiers with them. Wang Luo had ordered this; Han soldiers were more familiar with combat and training, and after surrendering they had no way out—presumably, they would fight even harder.

---

“Mr. Getini, reinforcements have arrived.” In the afternoon, a woman dressed as a ninja rushed into the Han army camp, reporting to the slender-eared, white-haired man in the center.

“Are you sure?” Getini asked.

“Three miles from the camp. I, Oriti, and Rick discovered them almost simultaneously. But we didn’t see anyone from ‘Wuzhou.’”

“It’s half past one in the afternoon. Do you think the Han army will attack immediately, or wait until tomorrow?”

A brown-skinned man with a Mohawk stood up. “Boss, I think they’ll move right away. The previous defeat seems to have humiliated their leader.”

“We’ll wait—act when the opportunity is right. What’s the situation with the Yellow Turbans?”

“They’re drilling troops and forging armor; many Yellow Turban soldiers are now armed.”

“Oh, looks like a great battle is coming.”